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Reviews
Hawaii Five-0: Pe'epe'e Kainaka (2014)
Kudos and Criticism Both
This episode gets kudos first and foremost for hiring Bryan Anderson to play the amputee at the end. His acting brought tears to my eyes. I really would love to see Bryan Anderson's character come back on the show, as he's an AMAZING actor and it's great to see an amputee playing an amputee. I'm sick of Hollywood casting able-bodied actors to play disabled characters.
This episode also gets kudos for making the most visible (and frankly, most scary, psychopathic) terrorists white kids in their 20s. It's very easy to fall back on making the terrorists brown Middle Eastern people, something most shows are guilty of at some point--including H50 in this episode, though they have very little screen time.
This episode gets criticism for two things. First of all, one of the terrorists is female and she shows off way too much skin to be a Muslim extremist (who usually follow the most conservative rules of Islam, one of which is to not show excess skin).
Second of all, the writing for the scenes in the interrogation room felt very stereotypical and outrageous to me.
Beyond Sherwood Forest (2009)
Robin Hood with a Fantasy Twist
Beyond Sherwood Forest is a great twist on the classic Robin Hood tale. All of your favorite characters are here, with one new character for you to fall in love with. (Can't tell you too much about her; don't want to ruin it.)
The reinvention of Sherwood Forest was mildly confusing as the gateway that resembles a Stargate separating the two worlds had some rules that were never explained explicitly, but this didn't make the movie any less enjoyable.
The best part of the film is getting to see to many local Vancouver actors. Peter Deluise directs, and Bill Dow (of SG-1), Julian Sands (of Ark of Truth), and Robin Dunne (of Santcuary) are among the stars.
Warehouse 13: Nevermore (2009)
A veritable showcase of what makes Warehouse 13 worth watching!
Nevermore is a great showcase of what makes Warehouse 13 worth watching. (I've tried to give examples without spoilers; sorry they're so generic!)
The absolutely fantastic cast goes above and beyond to make each episode awesome. From Jo Kelly's physical interaction with her parents to Eddie McClintock's priceless facial expressions to Allison Scagliotti's use of dry humor to bring Claudia to life, the casting directors at SyFy sure made excellent choices!
The guest actors continue to surpass expectations, fitting right in with the established cast as if they've been there the whole time. Nevermore has three such guest actors. Two of them, Susan and Michael Hogan, a husband-and-wife couple in "real life", play Myka's parents to a T. Both the rapport and the tension between them and Jo is quite believable. The last guest actor, Alec, is strikingly and surprisingly disturbing in his role.
And finally, the writing and direction deserve a mention here. Tawnia McKiernan did an excellent job fiddling with angles and lighting to construct the atmosphere of the show, and in particular, this episode. And David Simkins's writing for this episode did a nice job of tying together an idea with previously established cannon (the artifact and Myka's family, in this case).
The only bad part of this episode was that it felt like it alternately rushed and dragged--like parts of it had to be filmed really quickly and others were filmed slowly or after most of the episode had wrapped. I actually rather enjoyed this aspect of it; I think the change of pace adds to the "ride" the episode provides. But I can see how others may not like that.
National Treasure: Book of Secrets (2007)
Buy the DVD!!! Watch the commentary!!!
I took my whole family to see it in the theater when it came out in December on my birthday, but that didn't stop me from buying the DVD when it came out as well!!!
The commentary on the DVD makes it extra special... Viewers of the commentary will be treated to Jon Voight's funny quips, Jon Turteltaub's advice for young filmmakers, their revelation (not once, not twice, but three times!!!) of what was on page 47, the director giving some of the brilliant cinematographers and editors whose names aren't often heard the credit they deserve, and (most importantly!) a behind-the-scenes glance at how a director and veteran actor view the making of a movie. The commentary is (for me, even having already seen the movie in theaters... twice!) worth every penny!!!